You have taken the responsibility for a Welcoming Library: Traveling Collection. Here are some suggestions for prepping, maintaining, and loaning your collection.
I’m Your Neighbor Books’ Project Manager Pam Remy is always available to offer advice and resources or to create new tools where new tools are needed. Reach out at 207-613-1619 or premy@imyourneighborbooks.org.
When you open either of your two red totes, you will see a laminated sheet with a URL/QRCode, that will link you to our Welcoming Library: Toolkit. This will open up a series of tools for you and whoever is eventually borrowing your Welcoming Library. When the red totes arrive, you can start by navigating to “Upon Arrival” to get your inventory sheet and to watch a video on Book Display assembly.
You have an Inventory Sheet hosted on our Google Drive. From here on in, it is up to you to maintain that list. What’s to maintain? We release new Welcoming Library picture book selections with our signature discussion questions throughout the year. With each new picture book release you will receive a book processing kit (cover stickers, bookplate, and discussion question) that will allow you the opportunity to purchase the book locally and transform that book to match your collection. At the top of your Inventory Sheet will always be a link to the Master Book List where you can copy bibliographic information to update your inventory sheet as needed!
Unless you have a system-wide process for cataloging kits and taking reservations for those kits, your reservations may be best handled via Google Forms. Have a look at our reservation form for ideas for form fields.
Unless you have a system-wide process tracking your borrowing, we have found that a Google Calendar is the simplest way to keep track.
We have found that a folding hand truck helps with delivery. Find a sample one here.
You should leave 7-14 days between reservations for tardy returns, inventory and restocking the collection, and sending the collection out again.
You may want to establish an agreement with your users to expectations and to cover any replacement costs that come up. Here is a Word Doc with some suggestions.
If you need to introduce the Welcoming Library to your community, we offer text that should help. This Word Doc can also be adapted with your contact information.
each out at 207-613-1619 or premy@imyourneighborbooks.org.
